Ukrainian farmers need 80 bln-90 bln hryvni for field work this fall - UAC head

MOSCOW. July 19 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian agricultural sector needs 80 billion-90 billion hryvni in additional financing from the state to fund its field work this fall, Chairman of the Ukrainian Agrarian Council (UAC) Andriy Dykun said.

There are different ways for the government to help finish the harvesting campaign and start the fall sowing campaign, including by conducting interventions to buy some of this year's harvest or by helping agricultural enterprises store grain, the Ukrainian media quoted the UAC as saying on its website.

Some 20 million tonnes of last year's harvest are still being stored at warehouses because of the continuing blockade of the Ukrainian seaports, thus causing a number of problems to the Ukrainian agricultural sector, Dykun said. For instance, agricultural enterprises are short of money because the harvest has not been sold, and there is no funding to enable a full-fledged harvesting campaign, to pay salaries and to maintain farms.

"Stability and the possibility to sell products are key to the normal functioning of the agricultural sector. Agricultural communities hope that the state will find money to support farmers," Dykun said.